Battalion Of Flies – Blue Lips, Cold Kiss

LSD, the track which starts this album is dedicated to Layne Staley and, as the lyrics don’t seem to bare much relevance to the late Alice In Chains vocalist, I can only assume this dedication comes in the form of using his vocal style throughout the song. This begins a strange theme; as well Alice In Chains Battalion Of Flies claim influence from Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden and the theme seems to be writing songs in the style of these bands. Also into the mix come Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam with songs so generic of these bands’ styles that you can predict exactly what the songs are going to do next with alarming regularity.

It’s not that Battalion Of Flies are without talent, Craig Costello (vocals, guitar) is a very good vocalist and the music is laid down skilful and with great power. The problem lies simply in the fact that the band seem totally devoid of any original ideas. I’ve heard every riff, every vocal affectation and even every solo somewhere before.